Parish Walk

The Ball and Bat

Turn off the A338 into Breamore village and park in the Breamore Countryside Museum car park.

Start the walk by turning right on to the road signposted to Breamore House and the Saxon church and then turn almost immediately left on to a lane, which passes a barn on the right. Follow the lane to where it ends and then take the track straight ahead, ignoring a field entrance to the left marked 'Footpath'. The track leads up a slight slope, bears left and then forks at a point where there is a field entrance on the right. Take the right-hand fork which leads straight ahead.

The track soon narrows to a path that descends a slope to a gate with a stile set in the fence beside it. Cross the stile and follow the hedge on the left to reach another gate in the corner of the field. This gate opens on to a track. Turn right and walk along the track. It will take you past a farm on the left and then another in the valley to the right.

Not far beyond this the track forks. Keep to the left-hand branch. It leads straight ahead through a gate and is marked 'Bridleway only'. Follow it to where the trees on the left give way to a short expanse of grass and a track descends a slope to the left. Turn right at this point to cross a stile beside a field gate and follow the track towards a wood.

The track passes through a gateway at the corner of the wood and then skirts the trees to reach a place where two tracks cross. Carry straight on to pass a Dutch barn on your left and follow the track through the trees. At the far side it divides. Take the right-hand branch which is grass covered and leads up the slope with a fence on the right. This will bring you to a gate and stile giving access to a track at a point where a second track leads straight ahead.

The Old Village Shop

Cross the stile and turn right to follow the track to where the fence on the right ends and the track forks. Take the right-hand branch leading up the slope towards the trees. At the top a narrow, rather indistinct, path goes into the wood. Turn right on to this, passing a metal tank on your left, and then head straight through trees to a fenced clearing containing the mizmaze.

Turn left to skirt the fence and leave it by a path to the left about a quarter of the way round. The path emerges from the wood and divides. Take the right-hand fork which runs down to join a track from the left. Turn right on to this and follow it as it curves to the left down the slope.

At the bottom it is joined by a track from the right and another from the left. Ignore these and carry straight on. The track is now bordered by trees and after some distance it forks. Keep to the right-hand branch. This almost immediately forks again but still keep to the right and follow the track into the trees.

From here the track goes down through the wood to the valley. Follow it straight ahead ignoring all side turnings. This will lead you past Breamore House on the left at the bottom of the hill. Disregard a track to the right opposite the house and carry on along the metalled drive to the gateway. Just beyond this a gravel track to the left leads to the Saxon church.

To continue the walk take the metalled lane straight ahead. Where this is crossed by another turn right, following the sign to Whitsbury. This will lead you past the entrance to Breamore House car park on the right, beyond which the lane curves left at a point where it is joined by a track from Home Farm on the right. Keep to the lane. After some distance it passes a turning on the right and then comes to the junction on the left where you parked your car.